Post Summary
Marvel Studios X-Men is in full casting swing with the news that Samara Weaving would play Emma Frost. Now, she’s being joined by Kit Connor as Cyclops. According to Deadline, the actor was picked after Kevin Feige and director Jake Schreier met with tons of actors but landed on Connor for the role. Obviously, this is still a fluid situation until Marvel confirms the news, possibly at D23 in two weeks.
Who Is Kit Connor?
Kit Connor made a name for himself with the Netflix series Heartstopper and its movie spinoff Heartstopper Forever. He was also in the Alex Garland and A24 film Warfare and stars in the upcoming video game adaptation of Elden Ring. The role of Scott Summers/Cyclops is central to the X-Men team. Not only is he the de-facto leader of the team, but his character is the center of plenty of comic book storylines that they can adapt to film like the Dark Phoenix Saga and others.
Its an interesting development that we’d get the casting news for Emma Frost before we got anyone else, but those two characters are intrinsically linked from the comic books. Marvel has been very active with the casting process for this upcoming film and team. Deadline’s sources say that a small group of actors tested after the Fourth of July holiday and there was quite a bit of back and forth about Connor’s audition that led him to the role.
This is the third time that we’re getting a live-action Cyclops for an X-Men movie. The first was James Marsden in the Fox X-Men films from the 2000s. The second was Tye Sheridan, who played the character in the next wave of X-Men movies in the 2010s. We haven’t had a new film in the series since Disney bought 20th Century Fox and its library. The X-Men films were always the biggest hits for the studio with seven films and the spinoff Wolverine films.
The X-Men Rise Again
Scott Summers first appearance in a comic was the 1963 The X-Men comic from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He’s been the captain of the team ever since then with the power to shoot powerful beams of energy from his eyes that he controls through a visor. You can see him at his most powerful in the current Disney+ animated series X-Men ’97. James Marsden is also reprising the role of Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday, which comes out this December in theaters.
As for the upcoming movie, Jake Schreier is on board to direct after his turn directing Thunderbolts*. He’s joined by writer Joanna Calo and Lee Sung Jin to write the script. Of course, Kevin Feige will be producing for Marvel Studios.
We’ll keep you updated on this story as it develops. We’ll be sure to get more X-Men casting news in the coming days and weeks, possibly from D23 in two weeks. That’s Disney’s version of Comic-Con, where they make plenty of announcements.
For more on Marvel, make sure to check back to That Hollywood Show.
Source: Deadline
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